Cascade Warbirds Fly-In at the Museum of Flight

Every year on Memorial Day weekend, the Museum of Flight hosts a slew of activities including the annual Cascade Warbirds Fly-In. This family-friendly event is a great way to see some awesome vintage aircraft, enjoy the weather (if it happens to be nice out) and do something fun that wont cost you any money (yup, it’s FREE). Tim and I had a great time checking out the planes up close and learning more about their fascinating part of history.

A B-17 flying over the Cascade Warbirds Fly-In.

The Cascade Warbirds is an organization that works to preserve history by maintaining military aircraft. For one day over the holiday weekend, the Cascade Warbirds take over the main parking lot at the Museum of Flight and display their incredible planes to the public. Visitors can explore a wide variety of restored vintage military aircraft, representing a number of armed forces from around the world. The planes range from World War II all the way through Vietnam.

The Cascade Warbirds Fly-In is a great opportunity to get up close with these old planes. The owners and pilots of the planes (members of the Cascade Warbirds) are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Tim and I had a fun time asking the pilots questions about each plane and learning something new. Some owners even allow you to get inside the airplane to see what it is like to be a military pilot. It was really awesome!

Tove inside one of the vintage airplanes.

While there are a dozen or so vintage aircraft on the ground for people to check out at the Cascade Warbirds Fly-In, there are a few other planes in the sky as well. It was really fun to watch these planes in action, especially the B-17 “Aluminum Fortress.” It is crazy to think that some of these planes are more than 70 years old, and they’re still in peak condition. It is really incredible to witness them flying through the sky.

Tim and I had a fun time at the Cascade Warbirds Fly-In and we’ll definitely keep it on our list of things to check out every Memorial Day weekend. There are a few things to remember: the Cascade Warbirds Fly-In takes place in the east parking lot of the Museum of Flight and it’s absolutely free. However, if you actually want to check out the museum, you will have to pay. Tim and I have yet to explore the Museum of Flight (we’re waiting for a day we have a lot of time because we don’t want to rush the experience), however it is high on our list of things to check do this summer.

The owners of this plane painted it with traditional Romanian military colors.

Tickets for the Museum of Flight are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors (65+) and active military members, $10 for youth (5-17) and free for children 4 and under. If you are a AAA member, you can get a small discount at the box office when you purchase your ticket. If you plan on seeing other top Seattle attractions while you’re in town, we highly recommend the Seattle CityPASS. You can save 43% on six major Seattle attractions, including the Museum of Flight, Museum of Pop Culture and the Space Needle.

Have you ever checked our the Cascade Warbirds Fly-In? How about the Museum of Flight? You can connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Don’t forget to also check out Seattle Bloggers for more places to see, eat and play in the Emerald City.